Zelf Koelman is a designer who has created a very unique clock – one that displays the time using liquid. Ferrolic is a self-contained clock in which the time is showed using ferrofluid. This material can become incredibly magnetic when a magnetic field is used near this liquid, which is how the numbers are displayed.
The clock features an aluminium frame that has magnets inside which are used to shape and display the current time, which then causes the liquid to move and shape itself accordingly. The fluid itself looks like some sort of black gooey creature that has a mind of its own, which Koelman himself recognises, referring to them as ‘creatures’ He explains “Ferrolic was designed from a strong fascination for the magical material Ferro Fluid. The natural dynamics of this fluid makes that this display bridges the gap between everyday digital screens and tangible reality. Because the fluid behaves in a unpredictable way, it is possible to give the bodies perceived in the Ferrolic display a strong reference to living creatures. It is this lively hood that enables Ferrolic to show a meaningful narrative like for instance having the creatures play tag. In addition the natural flow of the material, it can be used to form recognisable shapes and characters. Ferrolic uses these both layers in parallel in order to display scenes and transitions in a poetic, almost dance like, choreographed way.” If you like what you see, you could be in for a wait before such clocks are readily available to the public. Only 24 can currently be purchased, with a hefty price tag of $8,000. You can learn more here. (via Boing Boing, Fast Company)
